ThmIndxrTM
ReadMe Page

This page displays the contents of the current ThmIndxrTM
ReadMe.txt file:

Contents of tixr0122.zip:
------------------------
tixr0122.zip contains a set of files that install the shareware version of
ThmIndxr(tm) and its utilities. If you pass a copy of the .ZIP file to
another user, please be sure to distribute tixr0122.zip intact, so that all
subsequent users will have a complete set. The following files will be
installed after the setup program from the .ZIP file is run, unless you chose
not to install some of them:
ReadMe.txt - this file
ThmIndxr.exe - ThmIndxr(tm) executable program
ThmIndxr.cfg - ThmIndxr(tm) configuration file
ThmIndxr.cmd - ThmIndxr(tm) command file
TxLaunch.exe - TxLaunch program launcher for ThmIndxr(tm)
TxLaunch.cnt - Help contents page for TxLaunch
TxLaunch.hlp - Windows Help file for TxLaunch (* INCOMPLETE *)
TixrCfg.exe - TixrCfg configuration utility for ThmIndxr(tm)
TixrCfg.cnt - Help contents page for TixrCfg
TixrCfg.hlp - Windows Help file for TixrCfg (* INCOMPLETE *)
TixrCmd.exe - TixrCmd command file creator for ThmIndxr(tm)
TixrCmd.cnt - Help contents page for TixrCmd
TixrCmd.hlp - Windows Help file for TixrCmd (* INCOMPLETE *)
ThmIndxr.doc - MS Word documentation for ThmIndxr(tm) (v1.11)
Images\TxSubDr0.gif - Default subdirectory icon image
Images\TxSubDr1.gif - Default subdirectory icon image
Contents of this README:
-----------------------
License Agreement (summary)
Unpacking Instructions
Installing ThmIndxr(tm) and the Utilities
OK, where do I start?
A Performance Issue
ThmIndxr(tm) Utility Programs
TxLaunch
TixrCfg
TixrCmd
Starting ThmIndxr(tm)
ThmIndxr(tm) Revision History
License Agreement (summary):
---------------------------
Refer to the program documentation for the full text of the license agreement
and warranty information.
ThmIndxr(tm) is distributed as a shareware program, allowing you to try it
before you buy it, to determine if it meets your needs. The demo version
expires after 10 days, or after creating 50 HTML pages, whichever comes first.
This should give you ample opportunity to experiment with the program. There
are no other restrictions on the demo version, which is fully functional.
After the demo version expires, you will need to get a registration key to
continue using the program. Your registration key will be sent to you via
email as soon as your registration form is received.
ThmIndxr(tm)'s shareware license grants you the right to use the program to
create as many HTML pages as you wish to. However, if you publish ANY of the
pages it creates, whether on the World Wide Web, on an intranet, on a CD-ROM,
or on any other form of electronic media, you are required to register your
copy of the program and pay the registration fee.
As usual, you are not permitted to decompile or otherwise reverse engineer or
modify the program. You are also not permitted to charge any fee for copies
of the distribution package you may supply to others for their evaluation.
This beta software is provided "as is" and cannot be guaranteed to perform
exactly as it is expected to. However, L5 Software is making this program
suite available with the intent of fixing any bugs that are reported. If you
find an error in the program's operation, you should submit a bug report
using the online report form found at
http://www.L5Software.com/ThmIndxr/BugReport.htm
Registered users of previous versions of ThmIndxr can use this beta release
without restriction. To do so, you will need to get a new registration key
to use the program. Simply send us a request via email, and we will return
your new registration key as soon as the request is processed. Send the
registration key requests to
registration@L5Software.com
Unpacking Instructions
----------------------
The ThmIndxr(tm) distribution package was assembled using WinZIP 8.0. Any
program capable of decompressing PKZip files can be used to unpack it. Be
sure to use the "-d" switch with PKZip to restore the directory structure in
the archive, or the equivalent command for the unzip utility you use.
Installing ThmIndxr(tm) and the Utilities
-----------------------------------------
ThmIndxr(tm) and its utilities are installed on your system using a standard
Windows setup program. The setup program and its control files are included
in the tixr0122.zip file. You can start the installation program, SETUP.EXE,
by double-clicking the file name in a File Manager (Windows Explorer) view,
by entering the file's name and location in a File Run dialog from Program
Manager or the Start Bar, or by typing the file specification at an NT
command prompt.
SETUP presents the ThmIndxr(tm) license for you to read, and asks if you
agree to its terms and conditions. Like all the others that come with the
software you buy, you should carefully read, and understand, the ThmIndxr(tm)
license agreement, because it is a legal contract between you and L5 Software
Development Corporation. You indicate your acceptance of the contract by
proceeding with the installation. If you don't agree to the terms, you
should quit the installation and either delete the software from your system
(if you downloaded it) or return the distribution disk for a refund if you
purchased the program commercially.
Once you've read and agreed to the license terms, SETUP displays a series of
dialogs allowing you to configure the installation parameters. When you are
satisfied with the setup parameters, press the Install button. SETUP
decompresses the ThmIndxr(tm) program, Help and documentation files in the
specified location. It then creates a program group with the icons for each
of the applications, the Help files, and the configuration and command file
samples.
You should keep the configuration and command files in the distribution
package intact, since they contain documentation for each of the control
values. Feel free to load them into the editor utilities if you wish to
restore the ThmIndxr(tm) default values after you create a DEFAULT.CFG or
DEFAULT.CMD file; however, when you subsequently save your settings, be sure
to use another name.
OK, where do I start?
---------------------
The User's Guide provides a complete description of all of the features found
in ThmIndxr(tm) and its utilities. It was written with the hope that people
would actually read it, but we also realize that most people want to do
something now when they get a new program. If that describes you, here's
what you do: Go to the chapter titled "A Brief Tutorial." It describes a
brief exercise that walks you through creating your first page using
ThmIndxr(tm), and gives you a quick introduction to editing configuration and
command files to change the default page layout to something closer to what
you might want to publish on the Web.
A Performance Issue
-------------------
Because significant parts of the code in Windows95 are still 16-bit modules,
console applications (such as ThmIndxr(tm)) that scroll parts of the screen
can incur dramatic performance penalties when they are run as an icon, or in
a regular window. To get the best speed out of your system, you will want to
run ThmIndxr(tm) in full-screen mode, especially on Windows95 systems.
Windows NT does not have this problem, because its video drivers and command
processor are all 32-bit code, and therefore can more fully utilize your
computer's processing power.
ThmIndxr(tm) Utility Programs
-----------------------------
ThmIndxr(tm) is a 32-bit Windows "console" (text mode) application, and its
configuration and command files are plain ASCII text. For a power user, this
provides the maximum level of control and operational flexibility. It can
also be confusing for the average user, so the ThmIndxr(tm) package includes
a set of dialog-based utilities. These can be used to edit the ThmIndxr(tm)
control files as needed, and to set up the correct command line to run the
program. With the dialog graphical user interface, even novice users can
easily harness the power offered by ThmIndxr(tm).
TxLaunch
--------
TxLaunch can be used to start ThmIndxr(tm) from the familiar environment of
the Windows graphical user interface. The controls in its window can be used
to set each of the possible command line parameters that ThmIndxr(tm)
recognizes. In addition, if you are planning to use a configuration file
and/or a command file to build your HTML page, the utilities for editing
those files can be launched by pressing buttons in the TxLaunch window.
TxLaunch is designed to be your main starting point for using ThmIndxr(tm).
It takes the mystery out of running this powerful HTML page creation program.
TixrCfg
-------
TixrCfg reduces the effort needed to build and use ThmIndxr(tm) configuration
files by providing a dialog-based editing interface. Through its dialog
windows, all of ThmIndxr(tm)'s recognized parameters can be set as desired,
to configure the program's operation to your tastes and requirements.
TixrCmd
-------
TixrCmd helps you harness ThmIndxr(tm)'s power by providing a dialog-based
editing interface for its command files. The program's dialogs group the
controls for setting up all aspects of the created HTML page into logical
sets. Through its various windows, TixrCmd allows you to set or reset all of
the available command file parameters as needed to produce the desired
appearance with a minimum of effort.
Starting ThmIndxr(tm):
---------------------
If you're looking for quick results, TxLaunch is the place to work from, as
outlined in the "A Brief Tutorial" chapter of the User's Guide. If you want
to work from the command line, read the following section, or refer to the
ThmIndxr(tm) Operation chapter of the manual.
ThmIndxr(tm) is a "console" (text mode) application. Although you can launch
it directly from the Program Manager, File Manager, or Windows Explorer if you
set it up properly, the easiest way to use the program is to open a DOS box,
and run it from the command line.
The first time you run ThmIndxr(tm), you will probably want to review the help
screens. This is done by typing
thmindxr -h
at the command prompt. The first page displayed is a set of usage examples,
showing some possible command lines for the program. By pressing one of the
keys listed in the prompts at the bottom of the display, you can bring up the
other help screens to get more information.
As a minimum, you must supply a title string for the HTML page you want to
create. This can either be done by using the "-ttl=" command line parameter,
or in a Command File. Further instructions are provided in the help screens
and program documentation.
If you just want to try creating an HTML page without even going through the
help screens, change to a directory where you have some JPG and GIF files. At
the command prompt, type
[path]thmindxr -v -ttl="My Title"
where [path] is the path to the directory where you unpacked the ThmIndxr(tm)
files (entered without the [] brackets), and "My Title" is the title you want
the HTML page to have. If there are spaces in your title, you WILL need the
"" quotation marks around the string, or the program will think the title is
only the first word. The "-v" switch turns on "verbose" mode, so that you'll
see what the program is doing as it runs. Make a note of the name of the HTML
file that will be created, from the screen that is displayed to confirm your
options. Once the program finishes running, bring the page up in your Web
browser and admire your work. That's all there is to it!
ThmIndxr(tm) Revision History:
-----------------------------
April 11, 2001 Version 01.22 (beta 4)
New features added:
------------------
ThmIndxr has been upgraded to with recursive directory processing, and
TixrCmd has been modified to support the feature.
TxLaunch, TixrCfg and TixrCmd now remember their most recently files.
TxLaunch, TixrCfg and TixrCmd can now remember their main window's
positions.
TxLaunch, TixrCfg and TixrCmd support files dropped onto their open
windows or icons.
A status bar and keyboard accelerators for file menu items have been added
to TxLaunch.
TxLaunch modifies control colors when changes have been made.
Enhancements
------------
A 32-bit installation is now used, allowing long filenames in the
directory name where ThmIndxr is installed, and supporting more
automatic deinstallation.
An icon has been added to the ThmIndxr.exe file.
The directory picker used in the GUI utilities now starts in the current
directory, rather than at the Windows desktop.
The Registry keys used by ThmIndxr and its utilities have been moved from
the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive. Therefore,
Administrator rights are no longer required to install ThmIndxr on
Windows NT.
TixrCmd uses a tabbed property page dialog for its settings, rather than
individual dialogs called up by buttons from the main window.
TixrCfg no longer hides its main window when child dialogs are displayed.
TixrCmd and TixrCfg convert filespec components passed on the command line
from 8.3 format to long names. This makes dialog titles less cryptic.
TixrCfg now defaults image name case processing to "keep case", rather
than "force lower".
TixrCmd doesn't ask to save changes if none made.
TixrCmd only enables the sort radiobuttons in the list pages if there is
more than one image.
The OK button is disabled in TixrCmd until a title is set.
TxLaunch has an active link to L5Development.com in its About box.
The utilities now use the current directory as the default location for
saving or opening files under "NT 5.0" and Windows98, rather than in
the "My Documents" folder. This update was necessitated by
Microsoft's changing the way FileOpen handling is performed.
Bugs fixed:
----------
Directory selection bugs reported by users in TxLaunch have been fixed.
Invalid URL and address information has been removed from ThmIndxr and its
utilities. ThmIndxr now writes the correct URL for L5Sofware.com to
the HTML pages it creates.
Filenames passed to spawned programs are quoted to support long filenames.
Additional checks have been put in place for NULL pointers which could
crash ThmIndxr or its utilities.
TixrCfg was not setting the default ".cfg" extension. This was fixed.
TixrCmd now correctly sets the current directory after reading a file.
March 23, 1999 Version 01.21 (beta 2)
New features added:
------------------
The HTML 3.2 prologue is now written at the start of created pages.
Pre- and post-processing support is now available through TixrCfg for both
command file sets, and individual images.
Enhancements
------------
The bDirAsTitle and bInheritCmd defaults have been changed to TRUE.
Separate background image case correction controls have been provided.
Extra dialog initialization steps have been eliminated in the utilities to
improve performance.
A system call was added to the error exit code to insure the log file is
written to disk.
ThmIndxr version information is written when starting the log file.
More visual separation is provided between the ThmIndxr home link in the
footer and the rest of the HTML page.
The click prompt text is now additive.
"Exit on Go" and "minimize on Go" support have been added to TxLaunch.
More information is provided in the About ThmIndxr dialogs in TxLaunch.
The positions of the height and width editfields have been switched in
the TixrCmd Table Properties dialog.
The multiline editfields in TixrCmd now accept "Enter" to start a new line
rather than requiring "Ctrl+Enter."
Bugs fixed:
----------
An extra paragraph mark was being inserted after adding the link lists.
The banner LOWSRC image was not being properly addressed in the HTML code.
An unhandled exception occurred if there was only one subdirectory in the
Add or Ignore file lists.
The word wrap feature for the HTML code was not working properly.
The default text for the click prompt incorrectly included spacing codes.
Some subdirectories were not processed when sorting changed the list order.
Pre- and post-processing would only work with batch files. Arbitrarily
complex command lines can now be used.
LOWSRC images were not created if the target is smaller than the thumbnail
maximum size (when the target image is used as the thumbnail).
An unhandled exception occurred when "write all settings to file" was
selected in TixrCfg. (Thanks to Klaus Allerman for reporting this.)
Path separator insertion was not using the selected character when building
subdirectory URLs.
Case correction was not being done before building thumbnails and LOWSRCs.
TxLaunch was not setting the current directory properly.
TxLaunch was not telling ThmIndxr to not write a log file when the log file
field was emtpy in both the TxLaunch and TixrCfg dialogs.
The current directory display could not scroll to show long paths.
TixrCmd was improperly inserting the default click prompt even when a
different string was supplied in the command file.
December 21, 1998 Version 01.20 (beta)
ThmIndxr and its utilities have been verified for Y2K compliance: Any
date information in the program includes a four digit year, so there
will be no problem due to misinterpreting "00" as "1900."
The DirLowsrc, DirThumbnail selections were moved from command files to
configuration files.
New features added:
------------------
ThmIndxr now supports a configurable "click a thumbnail" prompt.
ThmIndxr supports the option of erasing the LOWSRC and thumbnails when it
is started.
ThmIndxr supports selecting adding links at the top or bottom of the page.
ThmIndxr includes a configurable limit for table cell width to reduce page
formatting errors, such as when long filename are used.
ThmIndxr now includes the version 6B JPEG code, including support for
progressive JPEG images.
ThmIndxr will optionally show the color depth for images in the HTML page.
ThmIndxr can be configured to show file sizes as either bytes or Kbytes.
ThmIndxr now checks for missing thumbnails if the "Have Thumbnails" option
is asserted. This is slower when first building a page, but reduces
problems associated with missing thumbnails when rebuilding.
ThmIndxr can be set to break large directories into multiple linked pages.
ThmIndxr supports recursive directory processing:
process command files in recursed directories
support command environment inheritance
get the subdirectory's title string from its command file
optionally use the directory name as the page title
support including icons representing subdirectories in the HTML page
retrieve icon from subdirectory command file
use a configurable default icon if none supplied
stop at specified file option
halt at level of recursion option
stop if no command file option
create an advisory HTML page if the child directory is empty
ThmIndxr includes the total number of files being processed with the count
showing which file it is processing.
The configuration and command confirmation screens were updated to provide
more information about the settings in effect for the program run.
A directory picker is used in the utilities to select the input directory,
rather than a File Open dialog, to provide more intuitive operation.
Menus were added to each of the utilities for access to additional windows
that were previously accessed through dialog buttons.
Each of the utilities now has a "Settings" dialog that saves operating
parameters for the program in the Windows Registry.
The utilities include an option to write all settings, including default
values, to the command, configuration, or setup file being created.
The utilities now have "File/New" and "File/Exit" options.
Tool Tip support has been added to the utility dialogs.
TxLaunch updates:
system information has been added to the About box
an "About ThmIndxr" dialog has been added
notifications when child strings override dialog settings
TixrCmd updates:
color inherited variables' labels red
color picker dialog
background, banner, and image preview support
folded Edit menu option
recursion parent page ("trunk") link inclusion controls
home page link controls to turn inclusion on and off
sort checkbox in add/ignore list views
add "ancestors" link control
apply sort in add/ignore list views when images are added
don't write a "Title String" entry if none is supplied and "directory
name as title" is selected
"directory" label in table control
directory picker for changing current directory
TixrCfg updates:
support recursion stop file selection
support default subdirectory icon selection
support halt at level of recursion option
Bugs fixed:
----------
Empty entry strings in the command and configuration files were not being
handled properly. This has been fixed.
Don't always use .GIF as the thumbnail extension if "Have Thumbnails" is
asserted.
ThmIndxr was using the maximum thumbnail dimensions for images smaller than
the specified maximum size. The thumbnails are no longer expanded.
ThmIndxr's "sort by extension" option was using the first extension found,
rather than the last one. This has been corrected.
TxLaunch updates the current directory when input directory is selected.
ThmIndxr was incorrectly writing a fully-qualified path name for the banner
image to the HTML page. It now only includes a relative path.
February 27, 1998 Version 01.11
TxLaunch, TixrCfg and TixrCmd were not setting the current directory, which
made using them more work. This problem has been corrected.
TixrCfg had bugs that led it to corrupt configuration files it was writing.
These have been fixed.
TixrCfg failed if a different alert sound was picked in the Select dialog.
This bug has been fixed.
TixrCmd was improperly writing path information into add and ignore lists.
This bug has been fixed.
ThmIndxr was not properly terminating table entries. Most browser software
would will handle the unclosed cells properly, but the bug is now
fixed, to insure maximum compatibility.
Word wrap operations in ThmIndxr for long "additive" entries were tuned.
ThmIndxr creates the default META Description later in the run so all of
its data is properly initialized.
ThmIndxr now enforces 10 pixel minimum sizes for thumbnail images.
ThmIndxr now appends the default HTML and log file names if only path data
is supplied in the configuration file.
February 13, 1998 Version 01.10
Requested features added:
------------------------
TxLaunch, TixrCfg and TixrCmd utilities added to ThmIndxr(tm) distribution.
8.3 filenames are now displayed unless Show Long Names is asserted. Use
the new "Show Long Names" entry in a command file to enable it.
Bugs fixed:
----------
Some broken GIF files could cause the GIF decoder library code to believe
a program abort had been commanded, and terminate ThmIndxr(tm). Any
bytes following the end-of-image code in a GIF file are now ignored,
and a zero-length data block is accepted as an image terminator in
place of the end-of-image code. (Note that both of these conditions
are violations of the GIF specification. However, files do
exist...)
ThmIndxr(tm) would improperly try to expand images that are smaller than
the size selected for thumbnails. Smaller images are now used as-is
instead of creating thumbnails.
The library code for reading "additive" entries would discard the existing
text any time a blank line was encountered, not only if it was the
first line in the command file. This has been fixed.
ThmIndxr(tm) did not calculate the correct number of images per row when
there were between 5 and 10 images in the input directory. This has
been fixed.
A delay has been added after the display is cleared, before writing the
configuration and command file confirmation screens, because we have
received reports the previous text was still visible on Windows95
machines. The delay will hopefully correct the problem.
Some events would write to the screen when "quiet" mode is active. This
has been corrected.
The row counter was not properly being reset under some circumstances, so
the scrolling screen display would start at the bottom of the screen,
rather than the top. This has been fixed.
Several errors were present in the sample THMINDXR.CFG and THMINDXR.CMD
files, and have been corrected.
The trace level for several events were improperly set and have been fixed.
Several local variables were (needlessly) initialized in the program code
to silence idiotic compiler warnings at build time. This does not
affect the program's functionality in any way.
December 19, 1997 Version 01.01
Bogus images write log file entries, rather than terminating the program.
BADFILES.TXT is written to list the offending files.
Thumbnails are written to a "thumbs" subdirectory by default.
LOWSRC (low-res) images are written to a "lowsrc" subdirectory by default.
A JPEG colorization bug that affected the appearance of many thumbnail
images was corrected.
December 12, 1997 Version 01.00
Initial release, shareware.